Pakistan has announced the closure of specific parts of its information regions on Karachi and Lahore flights (FIRS) for a limited period every day in May, citing security problems, the air authorities announced on Thursday.
According to an official notice, the restricted airspace will be closed daily from 4:00 to 8:00, the local time between May 1 and 31.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that the closure would not significantly disrupt commercial flight operations, as planes will be reachable by alternative flight journeys during limited hours.
The decision affects certain corridors within the FIR rather than a complete judgment and is implemented as a precautionary security measure, have added officials.
Authorities have confirmed that air traffic inside and outside the major airports such as Jinnah International in Karachi and Allama Iqbal International in Lahore will continue with a minimum of adjustments.
Yesterday, air traffic control authorities published new guidelines to monitor all flight movements, including foreign airlines passing through Pakistani air space.
For security reasons, all commercial flights that should work towards and from Gilgit and Skardu on Wednesday have been canceled.
The officials said that the measures are precaution and aimed to ensure the security of the national airspace for a period of high regional tension.
MoroEver, following increased tensions between Pakistan and India following the recent incident in Pahalgam, the authorities in Pakistan placed all airports across the country under a high alert, considerably increasing security and surveillance protocols.
According to sources of aviation, strict surveillance has started all foreign airlines that operate flights that pass or come from Indian air space. While Indian airlines remain prohibited from operating in Pakistan, thefts from other international carriers continue under a meticulous examination.
The controllers were invited to demand the air defense customs numbers of the pilots of any suspicious aircraft before departure. No plane will be erased without documentation and appropriate identification.
